Natalie Dirks - Clear-cut Shadows

I climb off the lawn mower, sweaty and hot
A cool glass of lemonade a refreshing thought.
As I walk to the house and survey the yard
By seed heads and dandelions no longer marred
The sun shining brightly across the grass
The shadows no longer a mottled mass
But clear-cut darkness cast over the ground
Covering what grass there is to be found.

I go on with my work but the thought lingers long
'The shadows clear-cut on a freshly mown lawn'.
How does the grass in my life's garden look?
Does it look like a photo in a gardening book?
Or have I allowed tall seed heads of pride
Ready to scatter their seeds far and wide?
The stickers of criticalness and disrespect
Will thrive in my grass if they are unchecked.

I must be sure to get out the mower
Perhaps put the deck a notch or two lower.
The 'Round-up' of daily devotions is needed
To kill the weeds before they've seeded.
Some hard manual labor will be involved
But it will be worth it when the problem is solved.
I'll see clear-cut shadows where once was confusion.
What really was there or was it merely illusion?
There were gray patches there, neither light, neither dark
But now on cut grass they stand out -stark.
I'll know where to walk now to keep me from wrong.
The shadows are clear on a freshly mown lawn.

(6-7-09)

Natalie Dirks

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/clear-cut-shadows/